1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to fuel feed systems for internal combustion engines and more particularly to fuel feed systems including vapor separators.
2. Reference to the Prior Art
In the prior art, it is generally known to provide a fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine including a fuel source and a fuel pump for pumping fuel from the source to the internal combustion engine. Because fuel for internal combustion engines is aromatic, fuel vapor easily evaporates from the fuel. When fuel in a fuel feed system is under relatively low pressure, excessive amounts of fuel vapor can form in the fuel feed system prior to introduction of the fuel to the internal combustion engine. In order to separate accumulated fuel vapor from the fuel supply prior to introduction of the fuel to the internal combustion engine, it is generally known to place a fuel vapor separator downstream of the fuel pump and before the introduction of fuel to the internal combustion engine.
Prior art designs for fuel vapor separators often introduce difficulty because the fuel vapor separator relies on negative pressure pulses from the engine to remove fuel vapor from the supply of fuel. In some applications, the engine is too small to provide adequate negative pressure pulses to remove the fuel vapor from the fuel supply.
Attention is directed to the fuel vapor separators disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ 4,534,774 LeCoffre et al. August 13, 1985 4,450,820 Haynes May 29, 1984 4,315,760 bij de Leij February 16, 1982 4,117,817 Nishida October 3, 1978 4,010,012 Griffin, III et al March 1, 1977 3,985,626 Klein October 12, 1976 3,961,918 Johnson June 8, 1976 3,867,071 Hartley February 18, 1975 3,703,165 Hansen November 21, 1972 3,307,331 Lambert March 7, 1967 2,998,057 Graham August 29, 1961 2,917,110 Brohl December 15, 1959 2,878,889 Gilbert March 24, 1959 2,811,219 Wenzl October 29, 1957 2,745,551 Berck May 15, 1956 2,742,049 Granberg April 17, 1956 1,851,163 Daugherty March 29, 1932 1,804,557 Gould et al. May 12, 1931 1,381,897 Ackley June 21, 1921 1,119,980 Mulligan December 8, 1914 ______________________________________